Who Let the Dogs Out: A Study of Rural Gentrification, Roaming Dogs, and Community Conflict

Fairfield Glade, a master-planned retirement destination community, has attracted thousands of newcomers—wealthy urban and suburban in-migrants—to rural Cumberland County, Tennessee since its inception in 1970. The sociological canon on gentrifying rural spaces, such as Fairfield Glade, shows that there is underlying tension between newcomers and longtime locals—lifelong residents of Cumberland County who currently live in Fairfield Glade. A perusal of social media shows that there is conflict over the free roaming of dogs in Fairfield Glade. I conducted 18 semi-structured interviews of longtime locals and newcomers in Fairfield Glade to understand if conflict over free roaming dogs seen on social media also occurs in neighbors, as well as how that conflict might get resolved. I found that while there is little conflict over free roaming dogs directly, I discovered themes of class division, differing perceptions of rurality, and a resistance to pay higher taxes to fund better animal control and sheltering services.